Since his 1996 debut recording, the all acoustic BIG MAMA’S DOOR, Alvin Youngblood Hart has carried his musical message the world over. A devout follower of the “no barriers” approach laid by veteran performers like Gatemouth Brown and the late great Doug Sahm, Alvin continues to defy the so- called purists. After receiving the 1997 W.C Handy Award for Best New Artist, as well as 2 Living Blues Awards, Hart’s 1998 release ,TERRITORY, a rousing tribute to all forms of American music, received the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll Award for Best Blues Album (and it wasn’t even a Blues album).In the summer of ’99 Hart teamed up with producer Jim Dickinson to begin recording START WITH THE SOUL. This record would be hailed as a new breed Southern Rock classic & Alvin’s return to the “sacred garage” where many a guitar player’s life began. ”SOUL”, Alvin’s best-selling record to date, was chosen in the New York Times top 10 releases of 2000 as well as the BBC’s Blues record of the year. He also shared Living Blues Magazine’s best guitarist honors with fellow road dog Big Jack Johnson in 2001. Hart continues to tour the globe as a solo artist and with his eclectic electric band.